Still using manual methods to test code or to validate data? Overwhelmed by the seemingly huge time and cost investment of building and implementing automation into the software development lifecycles or data operations?

Automating testing is essential when operating in contemporary, fast-paced, and optimized environments, like Agile, that work in a quick, iterative fashion. Also, automation is a cornerstone of the DevOps approach, which improves deployment though better collaboration of development and operations teams. Without automation, software development workflows may easily become slowed or stalled due to the cumbersome time and resources required to perform manual testing. Even worse, testing may be skipped or incomplete in order to meet deadlines, leading to more bugs and low-quality data.

The focus on impeccable customer satisfaction and the demand for real-time analytics has increased the need for optimized internal business workflow. Automation is a key step on the road to optimization. Here are the top 4 benefits gained by investing in automation:

1. Increased speed and volume

The most obvious benefit of automation is an increase in output velocity. The testing and validation traditional performed by humans manually can be efficiently performed by machines continuously in a fraction of the time. Automated test scripts are often reusable, which can be applied in a variety of cases.

In the case of big data, automated testing alleviates the monumental task of verifying the high volume of data flowing at a constant rate.

2. High quality

Even though the Agile approach promotes fast production, quality should never be sacrificed. Machines are less error-prone when performing repetitive tasks and using testing scripts improve the consistency and reliability of testing. In software development, automated testing ensures that MVPs are released with less bugs. The ease of automated testing means that more features can be tested, thereby improving overall functionality.

In the world of data operations, testing guarantees that data sets are usable and complete. Without testing, there is a risk of letting bad or incomplete data inform business decisions.

3. Lower Costs

Even though the initial implementation of automated testing requires an investment, the ROI will be quickly realized. Initial setup costs will be minimal compared to savings over time. Manual testing requires a heavy investment in resources performing repetitive, time-consuming tasks, which involves a hefty budget to maintain. Automated testing drastically scales down the need for costly resources, as the tests can run mostly unattended and with minimal monitoring. Ultimately, this will help redirect valuable resources to more high-impact, strategic tasks. Because of the higher quality of output that comes from automated testing, there is less need for fixing bugs after release, which also contributes to lower project costs.

4. Happier users and customers

An extra bonus of the more streamlined functionality that comes with automated testing is the shortening of the feedback loop with customers and users. This keeps customers engaged and satisfied. Customer satisfaction will increase due to more precise data analytics and more robust software functionality.

To improve workflow efficiency and ultimately gain a competitive edge in the market, it’s time to think seriously about implementing automation into business systems and workflows. There is no need to reinvent the wheels on testing, as plenty of good open source and paid options already exist. Once the automated tools are in place, your business will quickly reap the benefits of the investment.